A lot has been going around the news and in the nation lately. Executive orders that are un-American such as banning anyone coming from 7 Muslim nations from coming into the US, even with a Green Card and legal residency. Our new President firing those who do not agree or support his executive orders or statements. Not to mention the amount of videos and Memes of Minority groups (Black, Latino, Muslim, Hispanic, etc) VS Whites and whether the White race is actually racist or not.
Okay, let's get this straight. So far the people in this country who need educating on the concept of race, history of the United States, politics, sociology, and psychology is all the uneducated, conservatives, the rich, white supremacists, and the older generation who grew up in a time where being racist was the normal ideology and made sense based on opinion, or just hating the other groups just because they were DIFFERENT.
I absolutely couldn't have felt better about our humanity as a nation when I saw how many people were at JFK protesting day of the executive order. THAT is what we need more of. ACTIVISTS, People who take time out of their day to go and stand in the cold to stand up for morality, humanity and our rights as Americans. We need more people standing up for what is RIGHT even if the problem occurring does not affect one's daily life.
Stony Brook University had a protest and had the president of the college: President Stanley spoke out about Trump's actions and address to the community that we will not accept his arbitrarily actions and words.
I notice there has been a lot of judgement, labels, and lack of understanding on what the other person is saying, let alone if both individuals even are on the same page on what 'White Pride' means or what it means to be 'white' or what it means to be 'black', Muslim, Spanish heritage, indigenous heritage, etc. Usually going around on social media platforms, specifically Facebook since that is the one I have been mostly using lately. I even had a friend comment on a post from #BlackLivesMatter that I reposted, "Why is white pride is about skin tone?" When I went on to explain and elaborate history, meaning, etc. He said that it was complete bullshit and said just because you are white does not mean you have no culture. Which is not what I said nor what the Meme said. Italians, Irish, Germans, Russians, etc., all have a culture, all have something they celebrate just like the Black culture, Muslim Culture, Latino Culture, and Asian Culture. However, he misinterpreted what I said and only focused on the one term "culture" and defended himself when it came to being 'White'. Those who HAVE white pride are those who are just proud they are white and are usually the white supremacists...
We need more civil debates, educational conversations, exchange of information, speaking to one another with open mind and ears. Trying to understand one another and come to a mutual understanding. Where both persons are allowed to finish what they're saying and staying on the same topic rather than getting off topic or ranting about a flaw the other has.
Groups of people have been dehumanized throughout American history. Women were called sluts or treated as less than men, they called Latinos lazy and criminals, they called Blacks thieves, they call Muslims terrorists. But I never see those same racists/white supremacists ever admitting their faults. If they do, they're expected to be forgiven! Or should I say "lack of media coverage or play on words?" However, continue to do the same prejudice behavior thing just in a less obvious, usually harmless, way by rejection. Rejecting someone a job, a home, an opportunity, rejecting them from a social event or community. By indirectly making the other group feel inferior or feel rejected, hopeless, and excluded.
We need more people going OUT of their way to talk to one another, to start these random conversations on these issues, or concepts, ideas. We need to start valuing one another, learning from one another, hearing each other's experiences. See from another person's lenses. Get to see what it's like to be in another person's shoes. We need more enlightenment on what it really means to be Black in America, to be Spanish, to be Muslim, to be anything but White.
Another thing, our education system needs to get up to date. From what I have been informed of, the south doesn't even have the same education as the north. Some states even have 4 days of school because of budget cuts (I feel for you Oklahoma). Just from being a counselor and helping my 1st graders and sometimes older grades with homework, they really do not give a shit about reading or literacy. I THOUGHT WE WERE FIXING THAT. No, they want the kids to be strictly good at math and science because that's where our innovation is invested into not only invent and create but in the long run and most important goal...money. I mean of course the innovation of technology would be great to see evolve and see what cool gadgets we can make (hopefully ones that will positively attribute to society or the world).
Fewer children want to read, why? Well, we don't make it important or fun enough. The kids have iPads, TVs, Facebook, all these videos that tell us fake news, Memes with fake facts/biased/ignorant claims. The kids don't NEED to love reading. Why would they need to love reading? They don't need to come across those books that teach us about human behavior, or societal factors, history, etc. It is proven that the more you read, the higher your level of thinking is (not just your reading level or large vocabulary). Think about it, the more kids read, the faster they will get over reading those fantasy books (or not, nothing wrong with reading some fiction as adults). However, the point is, the more you read, the more you want to read about everything, your mind begins to expand and I promise you, you'd come across a book that is not only educational but informative in some way about a topic or issue you never knew of. But we wait till we grow up and see the few that can make it have an interest in college to pay lots of money to buy these classes and books to educate ourselves because we paid for it and we are getting graded.
It is the lack of education that we do not get till we take certain classes and professors in college, or just meet others in college who have this enlightenment of information that explains why we (as a nation or just as humans) do this, think this, feel this, etc.
We need to start sharing with one another what we have learned, what we believe in, what we WANT to see. We need to start making a movement, a movement where we all come together as one to recreate the meaning of what it means to be an American, what the American culture is all about. Equality, human rights for all, a world where the other person's race does not matter, where we do not judge one another, where we love each other, befriend each other, trust each other. I see all these wonderful movements. However, wouldn't it be a beautiful thing to see all of them, to see each and every one of them come together and stand up together and say, "We have had enough". Enough of fake news, enough of Trump, enough of Tomi, enough of systematic racism, enough of inequality, enough of Islamaphobia, and all other phobias. Enough of the hate, enough of the discrimination, enough oppression, enough self-segregating, enough fear. Enough is enough.
The reason why everything that is a threat to the PEOPLE of America, whether you are an immigrant or citizen, is happening right now is because we didn't take anything seriously, enough. We did not take the election seriously enough to ACT. We only got upset, argued, or did not believe Trump would actually win or was too worried about how corrupt Hillary would be... We did not act enough as a nation. We allowed this man to say what he wanted, therefore we gave him permission to do what he wanted.
Our protests mean more than ever now. Our signing of petitions, our calls to the government to reject a certain politician into power or congress or administration. Our use of media means a lot, our knowledge and access and use of technology is so powerful. Yet, we as the millennials are not doing enough in our power to peacefully retaliate. We need to do more than just share and post on facebook. We need to take some legal action and force (peacefully of course).
